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France strikes: Chaotic scenes of vandalism and violence as unrest enters 36th day

Trade unions lead doctors, lawyers and teachers in protest marches after negotiations with the government over proposed pension reforms fail to end stand-off

Anthony Cuthbertson
Paris
Thursday 09 January 2020 13:56 GMT
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Protesters in Marseille demonstrate on Thursday against President Macron's proposed reforms
Protesters in Marseille demonstrate on Thursday against President Macron's proposed reforms

Chaotic scenes of violence broke out across France on Thursday, with police firing pepper spray at protesters, as strikes against Emmanuel Macron's proposed pension reforms entered their 36th day.

Trade unions led doctors, lawyers, teachers and others in marches after negotiations with the government failed to end the stand-off.

Protests were staged in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other French cities, marking the fourth day of major demonstrations since the strikes began on 5 December.

Clashes between police and protesters were once again shared across social media, with police appearing to use pepper spray outside a school in Chalon-sur-Saone in Burgundy.

A protester was also injured in Rouen after reportedly being struck on the head with a police baton.

Disruption of regional, national and international train services continued, while Paris metro traffic was halted for most of the day on all but two lines.

The transport strikes, which are now entering their sixth week, are the longest since the national rail operator, SNCF, was established in 1938. Millions of passengers have been affected and the company has lost hundreds of millions of euros in revenue.

Under President Macron's reforms, France's 42 different pension schemes would be unified into a single, universal system. However, critics say it will force many people to work longer for less.

The most controversial part of the reforms is the plan to raise the full retirement age from 62 to 64, which the prime minister, Edouard Philippe, claims is necessary in order to balance the pension budget.

A new round of negotiations between the trade unions and the government will begin on Friday, with the president calling for a quick compromise to end the deadlock.

Macron made the reforms a key part of his electoral campaign when he came to power in 2017 and has so far offered little compromise on the key proposals. The strike action has united the country's far left and far right in opposition, as well as drawing in nearly every sector of society.

Lawyers symbolically threw off their robes and blocked the entrance to the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Nanterre on Thursday, while similar action took place in cities across France.

On Wednesday, firefighters sprayed foam over the town hall in Le Havre​, where Mr Philippe served as mayor between 2012 and 2017.

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